Moishe House, the leading organization focused on engaging Jewish young adults in their twenties and developing emerging Jewish leaders, announced the launch of the Rubin Family Foundation Challenge Grant to inspire greater financial support from and deeper partnership with donors, foundations and organizations across the Orange County community. This challenge grant presents a fantastic opportunity to ensure the future viability of Moishe House’s innovative programming in the region, according to Moishe House spokespersons.
Moishe House Orange County, located in Costa Mesa, is a vibrant and inclusive residential home where young Jews in their twenties come together to explore their Jewish identity, build strong personal connections with their peers and meaningfully engage in community service. Over the past few years, Moishe House Orange County has achieved tremendous success and has forged partnerships with various local Jewish organizations including the Jewish Federation & Family Services of Orange County and Temple Bat Yahm. Since opening in July 2009, Moishe House Orange County has attracted nearly 4,000 participants through more than 200 programs.
Moishe House has achieved tremendous growth throughout North America and overseas since its inception and now counts 37 houses in 14 countries around the world. Since 2009, Moishe House has concentrated its fundraising efforts on building local community partnerships with donors and Jewish organizations. Most recently, Moishe House has launched its innovative program in San Diego, Detroit and Vancouver (BC) through the development of strong local partnerships with donors, foundations and Jewish Federations. Additionally, over the coming months, Moishe House will open new houses through this local partnership development model in New York, Phoenix and Miami, as well as a house in San Francisco geared towards young adults from Russian-speaking families.
“Currently, there are several Moishe Houses where less than 25 percent of the program costs are funded by the local community – including Orange County,” said David Cygielman, CEO of Moishe House. “Given this, we are focused on leveraging the Rubin Family Foundation Challenge Grant to build upon our recent success in developing strong local community partnerships and to enable Moishe House to raise the money needed to grow beyond our initial funding from a small group of national donors. In Orange County, we are appreciative of the ongoing support Temple Bat Yahm has provided us, but know it is critical to secure more funding from the local community in order to keep the house open and thriving into the future.”
Moishe House Board Member Ron Rubin, together with his family, has generously funded the Rubin Family Foundation Challenge Grant. Through April 2012, the Rubin Family Foundation Challenge Grant will match each new dollar donated to Moishe House Orange County with two dollars of additional support (a 2:1 match), offering an incentive of up to 200 percent.
In addition to Orange County, the Rubin Family Foundation Challenge Grant is being concurrently launched in seven other communities where Moishe House has achieved high programmatic impact yet has less than 25 percent of its budget supported by the local community. These cities include Boston, Hoboken, Great Neck, New Orleans, Portland (OR), Montgomery County (MD) and Washington (DC). Prior to securing this challenge grant, Moishe House was forced to evaluate an exit plan in 2011 for its program in these eight communities. With this grant, however, there is now a unique opportunity for Moishe House to accelerate the development of strong and enduring partnerships within each local Jewish community and to secure a long-term future for its programs serving young Jewish adults.
Moishe House’s mission is to provide meaningful Jewish experiences for young adults by supporting leaders in their 20s as they create vibrant, home-based Jewish communities. The organization has pioneered a creative and cost-effective model where three to five resident volunteer leaders create a home that becomes a hub of Jewish life for the young adult community. Moishe House has global reach and impact through its network of 37 houses in 14 countries, across North & South America, Europe, the Former Soviet Union, South Africa and China.
For additional information, please contact Jen Kraus Rosen, Moishe House COO at jen@moishehouse.org or at www.moishehouse.org.